For the first time, homosexuals and transgenders participated in the AIDS awareness rally on the occasion of World AIDS Day. The homosexuals and transgenders are members of the NGO, Lakshya. School and college students also took part in the rally, which later culminated at a programme site at Adajan, organised by the Surat Municipal Corporation in association with GSNP plus and the Gujarat AIDS Control Society. State Health Minister Jaynarayan Vyas was the chief guest on the occasion.

The participants displayed banners on AIDS awareness.

This was the first time that transgenders and homosexuals participated in a rally and revealed their identity to the public. More than 2,000 homosexuals and 300 transgenders are associated with Lakshya, which works towards generating awareness about AIDS.

Raju Khandale, a member of Lakshya said; "We are working towards making the homosexuals more aware so that they take some precautions while coming in contact with people. We are teaching them the ways of taking precaution. We are also offering services like counselling centres where HIV guidelines are spelt out. We feel proud to be working with people affected by HIV."

There has been a rise in the number of HIV positive people in the diamond and textile city, which sees an influx of lakhs of migrant workers from different parts of the country. Lakshya trust member Payal Kunwar, said: "We collect money from different households and shops in the morning and in the afternoon we visit the slum areas in the city where majority of the migrant population resides. We give them the basic knowledge on AIDS and ways to prevent it. We became knowledgeable about HIV from Lakshya. We also explain the people that the disease is not dangerous and that they should get themselves checked at government hospitals in case of doubt."